UN nuclear chief pushes for deal on nuke plant safety zone

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says he has started consultations with Ukraine and Russia on his call for a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia power plant, and the two sides appear to be interested. Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made his proposal last week after leading a team of inspectors to the nuclear plant, Europe’s biggest with six reactors, but gave few details at the time. Grossi said Monday that “what we need here really is Ukraine and Russia to agree on a very simple principle of not attacking, or not shelling, at the plant.”